At their May 13 meeting, the Renton City Council made sure safe aquatics recreation and public works professionals will not be forgotten.

Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone proclaimed May 18 through May 24 as Safe Boating and Paddling Week. In addition, May 19 through May 25 was proclaimed as National Public Works Week. The council unanimously approved both proclamations.

The Safe Boating and Paddling Week proclamation noted that since 2020, the number of Americans engaging in recreational paddling has surged, but many who engage in the activity have no training, with 25 percent of all boating fatalities resulting from paddling accidents. In addition, the proclamation noted that a majority of those who lost their lives while boating would have kept lived if they had worn a life jacket.

Accepting the proclamation was Debra Alderman, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary a 130-02-05 Renton. The proclamation stated that the mission of United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Renton Flotilla, 130-02-05, is to promote and improve recreational boating safety by teaching boating safety courses and conducting vessel safety checks.

“Thank you for supporting the work we do and for promoting recreational boating safety. It’s something near and dear to our heart, and we really appreciate it,” Alderman said. “We changed up the proclamation this year to really emphasize paddling safety because, as you read, it’s a pretty serious problem, and it looks so easy. So, we’re really trying to get the word out to help people realize the importance of wearing life jackets and getting knowledgeable before they get out on the water.”

The National Public Works Week proclamation recognized public works professionals, including engineers, airport professionals and managers, water, wastewater, and traffic signal technicians, construction professionals, and employees at all levels of government and the private sector. According to the proclamation, 2024 marked the 64th Public Works Week. Renton Public Works Administrator Martin Pastucha accepted the proclamation.

“On behalf of the 200 professional employees in Renton Public Works Department, we thank you for the proclamation and acknowledgment of their efforts day in and day out to make Renton a great place to live, work, play, and thrive and while we’re all say that it’s the end of city clerk week, we all are happy with the fact that it’s moving to public works week,” Pastucha said. Pavone noted he thinks the work and effort of Renton Public Works is amazing, providing a great place to live.

In other council action

• A memorandum of understanding between the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 2170 union at the City of Renton was approved so the union could once again pay interpreters for city use.

• A memorandum of understanding was approved in which the City of Renton can receive up to $10,000 from the Seattle Police Department and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force to continue fighting internet crimes against children. This money will support Renton police’s ICAC overtime, travel and training training, equipment, and software necessary for ICAC investigations.

• The council had a first reading of an ordinance (No. 6135) in which the city seeks to provide an alternative incentive option for projects that propose affordable housing units in exchange for density bonus. The ordinance also seeks to provide additional submittal requirements for density bonus requests to ensure city staff receives adequate information to review and process density bonus applications. It would also provide updated standards and criteria for affordable housing projects to ensure the units remain affordable consistent with code.